Deliberate Creation
by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages
Summary: When Lapis Lazuli finally regenerates, she is greeted with a world she doesn't recognize, one that she could never have imagined. With all but a few of those she knew before gone, how will she cope. (AU that takes place about 5000 years before the events of Jailbreak. This AU follows cannon up until the end of season 1, anything after that is not cannon in this story.)
1. Chapter 1

_Deliberate Creation_

 _A Story by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages_

 _Chapter 1:_

 _Lonely Rivulet_

The feeling of regenerating was one that many gems relished. The feeling of air finally meeting their body after what often felt like a small eternity, the ability to talk, move, and act, not to mention finally having someone else to converse with, it was surely something any sane gem should look forward to. To be fair, Lapis Lazuli wasn't exactly sure she was completely sane at the moment, repeatedly being forced to relinquish their physical form would do that to a gem. She had lost count of how many times she had tried to escape, of how many times that she told them the complete and honest truth, and ultimately how many times she had been told that she had to be lying. The worst part of this whole ordeal, however, was the lack of any water sources. She hadn't even felt any when the door was opened, and the lack of connection to any liquid tore at her very being. It caused her more pain than she had ever known, and now she just wanted to get out of this place.

This place had been her housing for what she assumed was many thousands of years, but she really couldn't be sure. Not that it mattered, of course, as the only gems she actually cared about were herself and the Blue Diamond. That wasn't to say she didn't like other gems, but when one is literally made to be a spy, one tends to 'like' a hell of a lot of gems. It goes along with getting to the places one needs to be, and favors are always helpful. The thought had crossed her mind more than once that she should probably have called upon a few more favors during her last outing, as getting caught was rather unbecoming of a harbinger of a Diamond. Lapis let out a sigh, she was probably already forgotten by most if not all the court, as a principal they tended to recycle 'friends' and 'allies' rather quickly, such was the way of things.

Right now all she had to do was wait for another opening and hope she was wrong about the court.

The door opened an indeterminately long amount of time later, causing her to tense, but when she looked up she saw that the only one that entered was a simple pearl. There was no doubt in Lapis' mind that the gem was a servant, as her uniform lacked any visible colors or shapes, meaning that she had absolutely no status in any gem court, homeworld or not. Lapis rolled her eyes and held her hands out towards the gem, expecting that those that who were keeping her trapped probably just sent the pearl here to refasten the chains that held her when she wasn't busy regenerating. The pearl flinched in turn at the sudden moment and Lapis smirked, she was a harbinger of the Blue Diamond, after all. The court of the Blue Diamond was often known for their vicious, swift hand to hand combat, emanating from the widespread lack of ranged weapons in the Blue court. This pearl was probably scared half to death, and Lapis was going to take advantage of it, maybe she could get some answers.

"How long has it been since my last regeneration?" Lapis demanded, taking a step closer, careful not to walk into view of the window affixed to the now closed door. When the pearl didn't respond she tried again, agitation building on the edge of her voice. "How long has it been?! Do you know anything, or are you just as useless as the imbeciles you serve under?" At this the pearl perked up, and seemed to take a moment to gather her strength and courage before answering.

"I'm not exactly sure, do you know what year you last retreated into your gem?" she said, her voice not wavering for a second, much to the surprise of Lapis. She also found it hilarious when the pearl stood up a bit taller, and it brought a small smile to her face. She would love to have a pearl so loyal to her that she would try to seem equal to a high ranking noble just to protect her. That would be quite endearing.

"It was around 230000 E.B.C. Why do you ask?" Lapis was starting to become confused, as years rarely mattered to gems. For a fellow member of her species to ask her for an exact year could only be a herald for unpleasant things to come. This feeling was reinforced as the pearl gasped. This gasp wasn't the kind that happened when one was surprised by an oversight in a plan, or when one discovered a small disaster. This was the type of gasp that only came at the sight or realization of a great travesty. Lapis suddenly felt extremely out of sorts.

"I h-hate to t-tell you this, but you've been in your gem for over 400 millennia," the pearl said, looking away for Lapis in what was most definitely fear. Lapis simply collapsed, her newly constructed body giving out as she fell into a heap and began sobbing. She didn't even have the coordination to curl up, and she just layed there. That was long for even gems, in fact, it was too long. This pearl had to be lying, this had to be some game that the ones holding her here had made up to drive her into giving them the 'secrets' they thought she had. That revelation fueling her, Lapis stood and turned her eyes to the pearl, they were going to have some words.

* * *

Pearl was unimaginably uncomfortable at the moment, not only had the only other occupant of the room just collapsed into incomprehensible sobs, but she also had to deal with the fact that she wasn't alone. She was told when she was sent here to grab any gems from the cells in this prison, and was also told not to expect any resistance. This was resistance in Pearl's book, at the very least. Then the gem in front of her suddenly pulled herself together and lunged at Pearl. Eyes widening, she sidestepped, impressed by the speed of the attack and its ferocity. Then came another punch, and another. Pearl dodged the best she could, but the eventuality of being cornered was one she aware of, so she started leading the other gem towards the door.

Then she realized it had closed behind her, and that it opened into the room. The sensation of choking wasn't exactly soothing, and Pearl made that as clear as possible, flailing her limbs in every direction and trying to loosen the vice grip that had imprisoned her neck. Then her assailant spoke, her voice smooth and deadly, like an unexpected undercurrent.

"I am Harbinger Lapis Lazuli, penultimate confidant and right hand of the Blue Diamond, do you really think your cheap tricks will work on me?! Do you think that just because you are not one of the ones that imprisoned me here that I won't destroy you for getting in my way?!" the gem screamed. Pearl tried to answer, but she couldn't make a sound. The act of choking a gem was ultimately futile, for gems didn't need to breath to live, but it was often just used as a way to shut someone up. It was damn effective, too. Lapis rolled her eyes and let Pearl fall to the ground, much to the gems relief. Recovering from the callous hold, Pearl stood and proudly looked the other gem in the eyes.

"I am Harbinger Pearl, penultimate confidant of Rose Quartz, and future right hand of the court of Earth. I'm not trying to trick you, in fact I'm here to free you, but if I have to fight you I will," Pearl responded in kind, readying her weapon. She was sure that if she held Lapis off long enough it would prompt her friends to come and find her. What Lapis actually did, however, was start laughing. Or was it crying? Pearl couldn't tell, but she decided that enough was enough. "I really should be going, I have a mission to complete, and recovering the gems in these cells is a large part of it. Come along if you want out of here. Otherwise you'll be stuck here for who knows how much longer."

Pearl knew she was taking a risk here, as gems trapped in a state of regeneration for too long were often known to be, well, not exactly sane. Lapis, however, seemed to be at least mostly capable, and didn't seem to be outwardly crazy. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Just then, Lapis looked directly at her, a glint of mischief evident in her eyes.

"I thought you'd never ask."


	2. Chapter 2

_Deliberate Creation_

 _A Story by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages_

 _Chapter 2:_

 _Skin Deep Snowfall_

The trek to the entrance of the prison wasn't too long or winding, but it was terribly tedious for Lapis all the same. Pearl didn't have any decent conversation to offer, and they still hadn't encountered any water, otherwise Lapis would have just flown out of there. The fact that Pearl insisted on checking every single cell for a gem added to the ridiculously long amount of time Lapis had spent here, and was a collectively futile effort, as all the rest of the gems that were housed here had no doubt fled long ago. Lapis was about to share her acute displeasure with Pearl when the other gem final said something that interested Lapis.

"So, what did you do to get trapped here in the first place?" Pearl asked as she opened and looked through yet another empty room. She sighed and shook her head, muttering something along the lines of 'useless effort'.

"I failed to do my job," Lapis answered, purposefully being vague. She wasn't exactly sure if she even needed to be, as her mission was probably taken up by another in the court and completed, but it never hurt to be careful. "Where are we anyway?"

"A long abandoned prison," Pearl replied, looking distracted by her own frustration. Lapis rolled her eyes.

"I know that, I meant where are we in the scale of the universe. Galaxy, coordinates, how close we are to homeworld; stuff like that," Lapis made sure to add a bit of emphasis to the word homeworld. She hoped to be able get there and contact the court. Then, if everything went well, she would be reinstated as harbinger and life would continue on in at least a facsimile of normality.

"Well I don't know exact coordinates, but we are currently somewhere in the Abell 2744 galaxy cluster. As for homeworld, it's pretty much all the way across the universe and we don't have any working warp pads that go there at the moment. Not sure why you would want to go there, Blue court gems aren't exactly accepted on homeworld," Pearl responded, mumbling the last part quietly to herself. Not quietly enough, however, to hide it from Lapis.

"Not accepted? What happened since I was gone?" Lapis asked herself, immersing herself in her thoughts. She was thoroughly confused. The Blue Diamond had always been the dominant gem court in homeworld politics. That dominance brought with it not only an extreme amount of power, but also respect that was upheld by virtually every other gem on homeworld. To force a court out of power was to fight an uphill battle that usually had more negative consequences than positive ones. Reality rushed back to Lapis as Pearl shut the final door in the hallway they were standing in.

* * *

Pearl was glad not only that the job was finally done, but also that she could go home to Earth. It had been quite a long time since she had been there, and the prospect of seeing Rose, Garnet, and the others excited her. She turned to face Lapis and nodded to the gem. Lapis returned the nod after a slight pause, and Pearl noticed that the gem looked lost. Interesting, since she seemed like a very independent gem.

"Are you ok?" Pearl asked as she slowly walked towards Lapis. She was almost directly in front of Lapis when the gem shook her head and started walking.

"Let's just get out of this place. Let's just be somewhere else," Lapis said, her voice sounding almost scared to Pearl. Certainly an interesting change, whether for the better or worse, she really didn't care at this point. Pearl decided to just follow the other gem to the exit, as the structure was actually decently linear, maybe it used to be something else. Either way, it wasn't long before the two found themselves at the warp pad, Lapis turning to look at Pearl, her face again a stoic mask of indecisiveness and weariness .

Warping without a set destination was always a bit tricky, and Pearl knew that was the most likely only real reason that Lapis hadn't immediately warped the nearest location. That's not to say that warping like that wasn't possible, it just wasn't healthy. Pearl smirked and stepped onto the warp pad, taking her time, and received nothing but a bored look from Lapis in return. She really didn't seem very fun. Pearl was glad the warp was short, but was surprised upon arriving. When they materialized, Lapis immediately sprinted directly towards the ocean and jumped in.

"A bit excited there?" Pearl shouted as she ran towards the water. Lapis surfaced a second later, her face scrunched as if it took effort to separate even a bit of herself from the waves.

"Excited!? Water is part of what I am. Heck, my title is 'Ocean Gem', and I haven't so much as felt water since I was imprisoned," Lapis responded, again diving and settling into the massive body of water.

Pearl rolled her eyes, Lapis certainly deserved a bit of time to relax; being trapped for that long wasn't something Pearl would even want to imagine. Right now, however, she had a message to report. As Pearl walked towards the temple she sighed, the feeling of sand between her toes was one of her favorite things, not that she would tell anyone. The way that she sunk ever so slightly into the sand was relaxing for a reason that she couldn't quite pinpoint, but it was great.

As Pearl entered the outpost she noticed that someone had started carving a door into the far wall. Maybe Ruby and Sapphire were finally making that temple they were always talking about. Pearl found the idea of the two small gems building a temple humorous, but she also knew that when fused they were a power to be reckoned with.

"They should fuse more." Pearl muttered absentmindedly as she continued towards the right wall of the cave. When she reached it she glanced behind her, checking to see if anyone was watching, then pressed her hand against an hidden alcove in the wall. The wall parted just enough for Pearl to slip in, and when she got through she was greeted by a bustling room full of gems. She glanced left, then right, trying to find Rose Quartz, the leader of their rebellion, and her commander. She spotted the graceful gem standing at the head of a table, a large map sprawled across it.

"In conclusion, Variscite will lead the Feldspar legion against the main homeworld force here." Rose explained, pointing to a large island west of where they were now. Variscite nodded in response and Rose continued. "In the mean time, Celestine's task force will attempt to infiltrate the enemy camps on the island. Hopefully the Feldspars will have drawn the gems away from their camp by then, giving you the perfect opening."

When Pearl reached Rose she smiled and bowed, not because she had to, but rather that she wanted to. If any gem in existence deserved to be bowed to it was Rose Quartz. Not only did she exude beauty and grace, but was also a mother to even those who didn't want it. That combination never failed to make Pearl a bit flustered.

"Pearl, you're back," Rose said in a tone lush with camaraderie. She set a hand on Pearl's shoulder and gently pulled her into a standing position. "How did the mission go? Where there any gems left in that prison?"

"It went rather well," Pearl said, feeling a bit out of breath. "There was only one gem, and when I got there she was just standing dejectedly in the middle of her cell. It was actually quite sad." At the mention of another gem Rose perked up.

"Where is she now?" Rose asked, seeming a bit surprised.

"She jumped into the ocean," Pearl swiftly responded. "She literally just came out of warp and sprinted right across the beach into it. When I asked her about it she said something about Ocean Gem and then went back underwater." Rose nodded slowly the turned to address the whole room. As soon as she started talking every gem in the room was instantly silent.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be at the beach."


	3. Chapter 3

_Deliberate Creation_

 _A Story by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages_

 _Chapter 3:_

 _Icy Monsoon_

The beach was all Lapis could have asked for. It bordered more water than she had ever felt in one place, it was secluded, and most of all it had a nice view of the night sky. Tonight the sky put on a show, intensely sparkling stars poking holes in the endless void as meteors cut lines in the blue-black fabric. Lapis surveyed the horizon, and she noticed a flare of bright green light followed by the delayed sound of an impact. It was the ensuing battle screams that piqued her interest, however, and the thought of a fight was just too enticing.

Pulling on some of the surrounding water Lapis formed her wings, taking off and heading towards the sound of the skirmish. As the island came into view Lapis only became more excited. What appeared to be several phalanx of feldspar were moving slowly up the north beach, drawing those they were attacking away from their camp. The conflict there raged with an intensity that pleased Lapis to not end. Meanwhile, a small group of what looked to be mixed court gems were working their way up a cliff just to the left of Lapis. They where a sharp contrast, just like the stars of the night sky. They wouldn't mind an extra gem, right?

* * *

Celestine was having a miserable day. Not only were Sapphire and Jet arguing again about the plan, but they were also down two team members. Ruby had decided to go off and help Variscite lead the distraction, most likely just looking for an opportunity to fight. Celestine looked over the ridge again to check for enemies, and her displeasure was compounded further as she felt something land behind her.

Immediately she spun around, calling her weapon from the gem in her right wrist as her pale blue hair, pulled back into a braid, followed her twirl. Grabbing the thin rapier in her left hand and completing her turn, she was met with an odd sight. A genuine Blue court gem.

"Wait! I'm not here to hurt you," The Blue gem shouted, holding up her hands and backing away slightly. "I'm just here for the fight."

"Just here for the fight?" Celestine retorted, not lowering her weapon at all. "What the hell does that even mean?" By now the other members of her team had joined in drawing their weapons, Sapphire holding her curved dagger in a backhanded grip. Jet had rolled back and sighted her rifle, tracking the head of the new arrival.

"Look, I don't want a fight, well I do, but I don't want to fight you," The blue gem responded, looking around. Her eyes widened as they fell upon Sapphire. "Marquise Sapphire?" There was a moment of silence.

"How do you know my name?" Sapphire responded, tightening her stance.

"It's me, Harbinger Lapis Lazuli," Lapis said, her form glowing for a split-second as she shifted her outfit into an elaborate dress that mirrored the one Sapphire wore. "Has it been so long that you don't remember me?"

"I apologize Harbinger, I didn't recognize you after so long," Sapphire said as she fell into a bow. Celestine choose that moment to interject.

"Look I don't know who you are, or why Sapphire is bowing to you, but if you want to fight? Fine. Just don't make too much noise." Celestine turned to Jet. "You think you can get to Variscite without being spotted?" Jet nodded. "Good, then get moving. Tell her we'll need more time." Jet faded into the background, the night accepting her like lost kin. Celestine then turned to the other two gems.

"The plan remains the same: stay hidden and grab anything you can that looks important, then retreat back to here. We'll destroy everything else and be on our way. Any questions? No? good." Celestine didn't wait for any type of response as she leapt into action, crouching down and advancing towards the objective.

* * *

Lapis rolled her eyes at the other gems' display, but quietly followed behind her. She wanted a fight, but the opportunity to talk to Sapphire definitely ranked above that urge. Another court noble on this planet at least meant that flying away wasn't her only option, though it remained quite high on the list. Lapis noticed that the gem in question was walking right besides her, just as quiet as she had always been.

"So how did you end up here?" Lapis asked, her voice concealed to all but the immediate surroundings.

"I came when Rose Quartz sent out a message asking for help," Sapphire said, her voice somehow quieter and yet more audible than Lapis'. "The rebellion seemed like a worthwhile cause, and I had known Rose Quartz for a substantial enough time to trust her. I was also fed up with Yellow Diamond."

"So the Yellow court rules homeworld now?" Lapis mused. That would explain Pearl's earlier statement about Lapis not being welcomed by homeworld.

"We're here." Celestine said as they reached a clearing. The camp was nothing special, just a few tent-like structures with a watchtower in the middle. Standing on the top of the watchtower was a gem that Lapis would have described as, well, sizable. She was considerably taller than any of the other present gmes, and as she turned her orange figure rippled with muscle.

"Shit," Celestine said, signaling for the three of them to move back. Once they were far enough away she spoke again. "Ok, this changes things a bit. I'm not sure if I can hold back Jasper, and if I can it won't be for long. Any suggestions?"

Lapis immediately raised her hand, if anyone could take this gem it was obviously her. The chance to engage a worthy gem in combat also played to her emotions in a positive way, leaving a lingering anticipation thick upon her every molecule. For the first time in a long, long time, Lapis Lazuli felt giddy.

* * *

"I swear she was here somewhere," Pearl said, truly puzzled. Her and Rose had been searching for a good hour and a half, and they were still empty-handed. While Pearl wouldn't put it above Lapis to completely abandon them, she didn't seem too sociable, passing up the chance at information wasn't something Pearl would do if put in her situation.

"I believe you, Pearl, but I really don't have time for this. Not only is the attack underway, but the weekly report from the north is going to be in an hour," Rose replied, her voice as calming as it had ever been. "I'm sure that she'll show up if she wants too, blue court gems tend to be a bit impulsive."

With that Rose turned and advanced towards the cave once again, her dress flowing to perfectly mirror an invisible wind. Pearl sighed, wondering what Lapis was up to, and then a thought hit her.

"Of course," Pearl said to none but herself. "Of course she would run off to the nearest fight, irony wouldn't allow otherwise." Groaning, Pearl began to walk back to the warp pad, tonight was going to be longer than she had ever intended it to be.

The warp brought Pearl down in the middle of the fighting, and she saw, with extreme clarity, a feldspars' gem shattered. Immediately she spun, her spear held at just the right angle to block the swing she had predicted would be there. Her assailant was a simple quartz, its weapon a dull orange machete. Taking advantage of the attackers' surprise, Pearl pushed back against the blade and stabbed into the quartz's chest, vaporizing its' physical form. Quickly glancing around, she tried to find Lapis, but the mess of the conflict she was in effectively blinded her.

Pearl brought around her spear as the tip began to glow with white-hot fire, and with a practiced ease Pearl formed it into an extension of her weapon, sweeping it in a half circle in front of her. The fire ate at friend and foe alike, and suddenly Pearl could see clearly that none of the gems in the immediate vicinity were Lapis. As she thought, a crack of green light consumed a quartz that was charging at her, and it retreated into its gem.

"Look, Pearl, I know the feldspar aren't exactly independent consciousnesses, but they're still on our side, so try not to kill too many of them," Variscite said as she landed next to Pearl, her bow drawn back. She let it go and another nearby quartz burst, helpless as it disappeared.

"I'll keep that in mind," Pearl responded, drawing herself into a defensive stance. "Have you seen a Blue court gem around here?"

"Blue court?" Variscite asked as she downed yet another of those that stood before her. "You mean Sapphire?"

"No, there's a new one, and I've lost track of her." Pearl spun, gracefully planting her spear in another gems chest before ripping it violently to the side. The gem behind that one had the misfortune of being in Jets' sights, and a shot from her rifle brought it to a swift end. Jet rolled to kneel besides the other two crystal gems and took out three more quartz in quick succession.

"You were looking for Lapis?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Deliberate Creation_

 _A Story by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages_

 _Chapter 4_

 _Glass-Still Water_

Lapis stood and took a deep breath, calming herself completely. The wind blew through the trees around her and she stepped into the camp, eyes closed. She opened them, smirked, and spoke.

"Are you going to come down here or am I going to have to come to you?" At once Jasper spun, and when she spotted Lapis her smirk grew to match her opponents.

"So one of you actually managed to get here, huh? Too bad you won't be leaving," Jasper said as she jumped from the watchtower, her landing kicking dirt up in a circle around her. The two stood there, motionless for a few seconds, then Lapis called on her wings and rushed forward, arm outstretched for a punch.

Jasper leapt to the right, rolling and using her momentum to fuel a jump that brought her back towards Lapis. Summoning her helmet, Jasper attempted to headbut Lapis in the side, but Lapis rolled her body just out of range of the attack. Lapis couldn't contain her happiness, and a wide grin worked its way onto her face.

"A helmet? What an effective weapon," Lapis commented sarcastically as she dodged yet another leaping headbut. "Smashing your head into things must make you a high ranking official in the Yellow court, though."

"Stop moving so damn fast!" Jasper yelled as she missed yet again. "Stand still and fight like a real gem." Lapis felt her eye twitch at the insult. If any gem on this miserable planet qualified as a 'real gem' it was her, no doubt.

"Fine," Lapis said, facing Jasper and planting her feet, "Let's go. Just me and you." At this, Jasper lept forward faster than Lapis had seen her before, and smashed directly into Lapis. Lapis remained motionless as she flew back, her face a blank mask. She hit a tree, sliding down, and her outfit was caught on a branch, leaving her hanging a few feet above the ground.

"Heh, too easy," Jasper commented as she sauntered up to Lapis, looking supremely pleased. "You Blue court gems are always too prideful for your own good. I mean seriously, did you really expect to defeat me? I'm a harbinger, the right hand of yellow diamond, I've killed more gems than you've met in whatever pitiful existence you've lived, and I single handedly destroyed most of the old Blue courts during the Green War over 300,000 years ago. Who are you to stand against me?"

By now Jasper was standing right in front of Lapis, and Lapis had decided enough was enough. Lapis reached into the ocean and called upon it. All of it. Immediately she felt rejuvenated, and when she looked into Jasper's eyes the gem cowed back at the ferocity of her gaze.

"I am Lapis Lazuli." As Lapis spoke, every molecule of water on the planet resonated with her, screaming her intent to all that could hear. "I am a gem older than you could ever hope to be, and if you think even for a moment that you've won, you are mistaken. Now die."

The ocean fell onto the island

* * *

"So Sapphire just bowed to her?" Pearl asked, parrying another machete. The monotony of combat with mindless drones was starting to test her patience.

"Yea, weird, right? Sapphire called her harbinger too, but that's impossible. Everyone knows that the Blue court hasn't had a harbinger since the wars." Jet responded, taking out a few more enemies. As Pearl rolled to dodge a swing she felt herself pulled slightly off balance, as if the water in the air around her was flowing skyward. She looked up, and then she stopped.

The night sky refracted off of itself as what Pearl estimated to be more water than she had seen in her entire life floated about a hundred feet off the island. The world was completely silent for the briefest second as each and every being on the island admired their inevitable doom. Then the sky fell towards them.

Variscite acted first, running forward and grabbing Jet, who was standing still next to Pearl. Seventy feet. Pearl felt Variscite grab her arm, but she couldn't move. Fifty feet. The feeling of being pulled towards the warp pad finally caused Pearls mind to start again, and she started running. Twenty feet. They weren't going to make it, so Variscite literally threw Jet towards the pad. Ten feet. Jet made the jump back to the outpost. Five feet. Pearl could feel the rushing wind that signaled the water, and wondered if her gem would completely shatter or just be cracked by the impact. Pearl didn't feel anything after that.

* * *

Celestine watched as the edges of the ocean lifted into the air, followed by the rest of its' expanse. It separated into four columns, each bigger than the island itself, and then merged into one cone shaped mass, centered directly over Jasper. Celestine turned and ran, Sapphire close behind her. As the shore drew near Celestine felt the air around her shift as the world began to fall to earth. Running towards the outpost, the sound of pure anguish that echoed from the island was so distant, yet so close.

Impact was surprisingly calm, the crushing wave of sound and force doing a great job at disabling all of Celestines' external senses as she was thrown to the ground. Next came the actually wave of water, easily a hundred feet high, probably more. Celestine wasn't sure, as she was too busy processing what had just happened to try to figure out the height of a wall of water. The sudden serenity of being submerged was comforting, and Celestine made no effort to fight the waves as they carried her towards her original destination, the outpost.

When Celestine hit the large pink shield that she assumed surrounded the entire beach, she realized that the rest of her team was probably dead, crushed under the weight of uncountable liters of fluid. This was not a particularly happy revelation, so she shoved it into the back of her mind to deal with later. Later would be different.

* * *

Lapis woke up at the bottom of a trench, specifically the trench that she had just created. As she looked around, she saw that floating all around her were shards. Shards of gems and rock and bark, shards of lost souls, shards of ended lives. Half of a bright green gem passed by her face, and she blinked. What had she done? How many had she killed in a desperate display of dominance? Did Sapphire live?

Lapis moved, swimming towards the surface. When she got there she summoned her wings. Lapis felt a great dread set upon her as her wings failed to form. Lapis turned her head and saw a bit of pink peeking out from the water to her left. Seeing no other notable landmarks, Lapis began to swim slowly towards the bubble.

As she swam the water level decreased at an increasing rate, and she soon found herself standing on solid ground facing the shield. Besides her lay the unmoving forms of Sapphire and the other gem that was with her. Inside were several small gems surrounding what Lapis presumed to be Rose Quartz. Rose did not look happy. Lapis noted the distinct lack of Pearl.

* * *

Rose noted the distinct lack of Pearl, and her displeasure grew. When Rose had left Pearl on the beach alone she should have know that she would go looking for the Blue court gem. Casualties were expected, a sudden apocalypse was not, however, and Rose's already thin forces couldn't accept many losses, unfortunately. Rose felt the last of the water drain from around her shield and she lowered it, stepping forward.

"What is your name?" Rose asked, her voice drained of the kindness it usually held. The gem in front of her flinched back, and Rose took another step. The gem spoke in a quiet, damage voice.

"My name is Lapis Lazuli." Speaking seemed to drain Lapis even further, and she fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. "Where is Pearl?" Lapis asked.

"In all honesty, probably dead," Rose responded quietly, her face held stoic only by thousands of years of loss. None said anything for a long time after that. Later would be different.


	5. Chapter 5

_Deliberate Creation_

 _A Story by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages_

 _Chapter 5_

 _Low Tide_

"Report." Rose's voice was as strong as ever as she faced the holograms of her captains. Celestine shifted uncomfortably next to her, disturbed by the curtness of the statement. This week had been, well, different.

"The northern front is holding strong, as it will for as long as you want it, my liege," Emerald answered, pushing some of her needlessly long hair away from the side of her face. "Casualties are at an all time low, no doubt thanks to my excellent tactics."

"The eastern forces haven't been doing as well, but we'll live," Topaz stated, rolling her eyes. "We've been losing some ground against those damn White court goons, we just can't deal with the hit and run tactics. If only I had a great tactician like Emerald, surely all my problems would be solved." When Emerald didn't honor the taunt with a response the last gem spoke up.

"The south is in need of reinforcements, as many as you can manage. The waves from last weeks incident wiped two of our lieutenants out in one ruinous swoop and rendered almost half of our subservient gems mindless. The resulting chaos caused the death of three other true gem agents. To be quite blunt, we're fucked." By the time Citrine had finished her rant the entire room was staring directly at Rose.

As the minutes stretched on Celestine thought of the implications of Citrines declaration. The loss of the south would allow homeworld to stage attacks from a much closer distance than before. It would also make joint attacks a thing of the past for Rose's split legions. This needed to be solved. Now. Rose spoke almost as soon as Celestine had finished that train of thought.

"Celestine, you will take what remains of your task force and assist Citrine in the south. I'm also assigning Lapis Lazuli to your team, I can't spend my time looking after a wayward soul." Rose's tone was definite and final, washing away any arguments that had welled to the top of Celestines' mind. Emerald, however, saw it fit to give her input.

"Are you quite sure that sending Celestine, of all gems, is the best idea? I could send down one of my strike forces, I'm sure they would be of much more help," Emerald said, her voice respectful in the most respectless way Celestine had ever heard.

"I hate to agree with Emerald," Topaz interjected, "but Celestines' task force has just lost three of their number, and from what you've said this 'Lapis' is very unstable." Rose nodded her head a bit at the two gems words, seeming to consider them for a second.

"Think of it this way," Rose began, "the western front is rid of its main constraint, the homeworld island base. This frees us up considerably from enemy attacks, and with the complete obliteration of Lapis' attack comes complete communication silence for the homeworld forces in the area, meaning that we have a while before they set back up here. All of these circumstances give Celestine a perfect opening to leave and help the fight in the south. It also gives us a chance to test Lapis, and see if she can be controlled."

"And if she can't?" Celestine asked, almost completely reflexively. Rose sighed, and looked truly sad. Then her face hardened, likening to the one she had worn along with the loss of Pearl.

"Then kill her."

* * *

Lapis let the sand run from her hands onto the beach under her, and then picked up more, repeating the process. The act helped her relax, and relaxation was a feeling that she hadn't felt much this week. This week had been, well, different.

"Hello, Lapis." Celestine's voice was softer than it had been the night Lapis had met her. "I have something to tell you." Lapis didn't take her eyes off the sand running through her hands as Celestine sat down next to her.

"What would that be?" Lapis asked, her own voice quiet but controlled. She hadn't been able to muster more than a whisper since her mistake.

"Under orders of Rose Quartz, you are to leave with my team and I and journey south. Our forward base there has suffered some unfortunate casualties, and they need help," Celestine answered, drawing small circles in the sand with her left hand.

Lapis considered the words carefully. On one hand going with Celestine to the south would almost certainly guarantee an elongated stretch of time with Sapphire. That meant that Lapis would learn more about the time she was gone. On the other hand it meant fighting for a cause she wasn't sure that she believed in. While the gems here were certainly passionate about this planet, Lapis still couldn't grasp why.

"Who all is included in this 'team' of yours?" Lapis asked, more to give her more time to think than out of actually caring.

"Well," Celestine began, "you already know Sapphire, she's my second and serves as a second guess to all my plans. Jet is another you've already met, and she's the scout of our little group. That's pretty much it."

Lapis looked up in curiosity, for surely three members was a bit small for an elite team of any sort, and was surprised to see tears forming in Celestine's eyes. They sat there in silence for a while, and Lapis stopped messing with the sand. After another moment, Lapis slid her hand over Celestine's shoulder, causing the younger gem to flinch back. Lapis persisted, pulling the other gem into a hug. Seconds became minutes and still they didn't speak, Celestine just crying and Lapis just comforting. Then the tears ran out and they stayed still.

"They were my responsibility," Celestine finally said, her tone surprisingly calm. "They were my team, my gems. Ruby wasn't even supposed to be with Variscite on the beach. I didn't even know Pearl was going to be on the island, I thought she'd rest, since she'd just gotten home. Because of my ignorance and lack of foresight three gems are dead. Sapphire won't even look at me and Jet hasn't said more than three words to me at a time." Lapis pulled herself away from Celestine and looked into her eyes.

"You were not responsible for what happened. Hell, if anyone's responsible it's me, and you can hate me for it all you want. You couldn't have known what I was going to do, and you responded correctly to the situation that you were put in. You did what you could, and the rest isn't your fault." Lapis spoke in a commanding tone, and as she finished speaking she pulled Celestine back into a hug.

The younger gem soon fell asleep, which at any other time would have struck Lapis as odd, but fit this particular situation perfectly. Some gems used sleep as an alternative to retreating into their gem when under extreme emotional pressure. Personally Lapis had never tried it, but she was told it felt good enough.

Lapis carefully stood and picked up Celestine, one arm under her back and one under her knees. She carried her back to the outpost, entering what she assumed was the barracks. She was greeted by a mostly empty room, save for a few book shelves and a bed in the corner. Lapis set the gem there and walked back onto the beach. The sun was still high in the sky, and it made Lapis think. How many had she prevented from seeing the sun?

* * *

Pearl opened her eyes, and was greeted by bleak nothingness. Not the kind of nothingness that is a lack of light, but rather a lack of everything. Then she felt cold. The type of cold that starts at your core and then spreads out, consuming you and becoming your very being. Then she began to feel, and attempted to move. The act was like trying to push against a brick wall, but Pearl managed to move her hand to just in front of her face.

The sight was, to say the least, disheartening. Disheartening in the way that there was no sight. Hearing assembled itself next, rushing to the surface all at once the sound of wind and the calls of birds. Taste and smell came in tandem, both relaying the being of salt water rather well. All these things occurred in a matter of seconds, and yet still sight was absent for Pearl. Then something interrupted the monotonous sound of the ocean, a voice.

"What is a pearl doing this far south?" The voice asked, sounding just the least bit interested.

"I'm not sure, but we should bring her to the Major." A second voice interjected. Pearl tied to speak, or to struggle in some way as the two gems picked her up. Hopefully her luck would be better than it had been lately.

* * *

 _AN: Once again thanks to all of you who have left reviews, it helps me continue the story and without them I would be hopeless._


	6. Chapter 6

_Deliberate Creation_

 _A Story by Pearlapis-for-the-Ages_

 _Chapter 6_

 _Blue Lips_

Celestine sighed, and looked again to the gems around her. There were four of them, counting her, and they had been walking in silence for the last three days. It was starting to grate on Celestine's nerves, this unending stalemate between the quiet air around her and her personal psyche, its ironic tendencies and inert potential for information. It just a few short hours later that Celestine broke the seemingly unbreakable silence.

"So are we all just going to become career mutes? You all seem to be doing a damn great job of it." Celestine's statement didn't seem to faze Sapphire or Jet, but Lapis smirked a bit at the comment.

"So what exactly are we going to do once we get to our destination?" Lapis asked a few minutes later, her voice a bored drawl. The air around them was beginning to cool as the sun started to dip below the horizon.

"Oh, well they're having trouble with an encroaching enemy force, so probably just a bunch of fighting," Celestine replied, glancing quickly to Jet on her right. "Jet here actually used to serve under Citrine, the leader of the southern forces. So she would know the situation better than I, most likely." Jet shot Celestine a glance, her eyes calculating and her mouth pursed.

"Citrine will deploy us as a small recon and infiltration team, like we're normally deployed. She will not, however, take mercy on us for having three members, and the tasks she gives us will be just as hard as the ones she gives her full teams." Jets voice was smooth, rolling through the air like an unsung song. "In short, more of the same."

The space around them once again lapsed into a silence that eventually brought them to their objective. The sight was something unlike anything Celestine had ever seen. The southern front was located along the beach, just like the western, but it wasn't built into a hill. Rather the structure rose from the ground, made of what Celestine could only describe as solidified light. It was semi-translucent, and yet Celestine could see gem sentries walking along the battlements with no problem.

"Auramancy," Lapis whispered, her voice quiet and slightly awed.

"Auramancy?" Celestine responded, turning her head to look at the gem. Lapis' eyes had a somewhat childish gleam as she answered the question.

"Auramancy is the control and channeling of light into physical objects. Usually a gem with the talent for it is only able to create small objects or distractions, but masters of the art can create things as large as this." Lapis seemed thoroughly impressed, and Celestine thought she caught a bit of jealousy in her voice. "I've even heard that true auramancers can create sentient beings to fight on their behalf, and not 'sentient' in the way subservient gems are. These creations carry the full intelligence and prowess of the creator, all while being completely loyal to their master."

"So how would one go about defeating one of these gems?" Celestine asked, always eager to add to her library of tactics. Knowing an enemy's weaknesses always gave one a huge advantage on the battlefield.

"Well they have the same vulnerabilities as a any gem, they can still be poofed, and their gems can still be shattered." Lapis grew silent for a second, as if contemplating whether to continue. "They do have one other weakness, however."

"And what would that be?" Celestine questioned, getting just a bit impatient. Their group had almost reached the outpost, and the sun had set, stars starting to dot the sky. Lapis spoke again as they reached the door.

"If you deprive an auramancer of all light, and I mean all light, they will slowly but surely go insane."

* * *

Pearl was pretty sure she was going a bit insane. The lack of any visual input had started to cause her a _ton_ more stress than it probably should have, but she couldn't help it. Ever since she had been imprisoned in what she assumed to be a cage of some sort there had been no noise other than the occasional footsteps an unknown entity. The sounds were right beside her and yet infinitely far away.

Once again the sound of feet against the ground around her, a staccato _tap tap tap_ as a being circled her. The sound consumed her and she felt the circle close inwards, growing nearer. Then a voice from right behind her.

"Who are you?" The voice asked, hauntingly calm and empty, like the sight of a starless sky.

"I am-m P-pearl." The inconsistency of her own voice drove Pearl further down into the instability of her consciousness. She tried to move, but she couldn't bring herself to budge even an inch from her position on the floor.

"I know you're a pearl, I didn't ask what you are. Who are you?" The monotony of the voice pulled further at Pearl, a gentle ringing starting to emanating throughout her mind.

"My-y na-ame is Pearl." The very effort of answering caused the ringing to intensify, until it drowned out all other rational thought in Pearls head, bringing her into a blissful, overwhelming cacophony of noise. She barely registered the blow to her back, but the calm voice that followed cut through the distraction to in the way a cold wind bites through one's very being.

"What is your rank? What purpose do you serve?" Pearl waited for a moment to gather what was left of herself, tears running down her cheek, and then answered.

"I am the Harbinger of Rose Quartz, and my purpose is your destruction." The statement used up the last of her energy, and with a whimper Pearl retreated into her gem.

* * *

The sight of the apparent _harbinger_ of her long time opponent retreating into her gem both pleased and sickened Blue Diamond to no end. The fact that so much weakness could be allowed into such a high rank while the enemy possessed great strategists, like Emerald, and capable fighters, as was the case with Celestine, was a testament to Rose Quartz's inevitable downfall.

"What shall we do with her gem, my liege?" Moonstone asked, floating slowly to Blue's side, her almost ethereal wings beating silently.

"What do you suggest, my Harbinger?" Blue responded, picking the pearl up off of the ground. A single crack ran along the edge of the gem, cutting nearly all the way through the stone.

"I would suggest a bubble, as she doesn't seem stable enough to give us any information, but could be useful as bargaining material. Plus I can only think of what Ruby will do at the sight of a damaged and defeated commander popping into her room, just out of reach," Moonstone suggested, her voice not nearly as even or monotone as Blue's, but just as flowing.

"I think I agree, Harbinger," Blue said, voice hinting ever so slightly at approval. "Bubbling keeps the prisoner both contained and preserved. The addition of another fallen comrade might also help Ruby in her decision to feed us information. Overall, a well thought out plan."

Blue laughed internally at the other gems ecstatic response. She was so easy to manipulate, always looking to be proved right, but her ego was matched by skill, so Blue had no complaints. Moonstone, however, would be replaced in the very near future if Blue had to guess. With the intense show of power that happened a week ago Blue was sure that Lapis was finally out of solitary, and her powers had grown just in accordance with the Diamond Authorities plan.

"Well get to it then," Blue said, tossing the pearl to her Harbinger and setting off to the northern wall of the compound. She needed to find Lapis, but she couldn't go out herself, it would stir things up a bit too much. "If you need me, I'll be out, so don't waste your time looking."

Walking through the halls of her base of operations pleased Blue greatly, the sparkling blue walls a mirror of the ocean that surrounded them, moving with the waves. Finding a capable gem wasn't a problem in this facility, it was instead finding an expendable one. A step into the main chamber elicited a sudden silence as the gems in the room stopped everything and turned to the Diamond, bowing. All except one, that is.

In the corner stood a green court gem, one of the new technicians if Blue recalled correctly. As Blue approached she heard the gem muttering something about 'Bipolar Junction Transistors'. Her fingers floated in front of her, as Moonstones did, formed into a type of screen.

"Recognition stamp, technician." Blue spoke, and the other gem's fingers stopped moving, resetting to their original position. Turning, it spoke in a practiced, yet obviously shaken, tone.

"Peridot, number 000000003, but most just call me 3," The peridot answered, shifting uncomfortably. "Am I in trouble?"

It was all coming together in Blue's head at this point. A perfectly expendable gem and the opportunity to try out her new toy's capabilities. A gift delivered directly into her diabolically craft hands by the irony of the universe. This peridot was the perfect example of a bad circumstance. A grin stretched across her face and for the first time in a long while, Blue Diamond felt giddy.

"Depends, how good are you at acting?"

* * *

 _AN: Sorry for the delay, life. Once again thanks to all who have reviewed, you bring a smile to my face every time you speak! I've decided that starting next chapter I'll be posting longer chapters, hopefully 2500-3000 words, so they will take longer. All that said, have a good day._


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